Sloatsburg — Up in the wooded hills above Sloatsburg, decisions are brewing for a large swath of residents related to life in and around Pine Grove Lakes. Sewers. Fees. Roads. Waterways. Dams.
The Pine Grove Lakes Homeowners Association, a New York state non-profit organization, will hold its annual meeting Tuesday at the Sloatsburg Public Library to explore and explain some of those topics for attending members. The meeting will tackle an agenda full of future-looking issues that impact Grove residents, especially regarding the community’s upper lake and dam. Due to years of neglect and erosion, the dam on Pine Grove Lake must be brought up to NYS Department of Environmental Conservation mandated standards. Located at the intersection of Laurel and Sunset Roads, the lake is nearly 6 acres and is used for recreation by residents.
Pine Grove Lake is also a major Sloatsburg spillway that feeds down to Stony Brook and into the Ramapo River. Trustee plans call for the lake’s water level to be dropped six inches, to back fill the dam and build concrete mats to prevent erosion, and to clear trees and brush adjacent to the structure and from around the lake shore. To date, the association’s board has provided an escalating estimate, now revised upward of $500,000, for the project.
Pine Grove Lakes dates back to 1935 and the Ramapo Heights Corporation formed by Robert Gittens, a New York State Senator and U.S. Congressman, and longtime resident of Sloatsburg. The company owned 225 acres in the area then known as Ramapo Mountain Lakes and created a private sportman’s preserve on the land. In 1939, groundbreaking began on what would become Pine Grove Lakes. The Pine Grove Lakes Homeowners Association was formed in 1951 and has been active since.
Pine Grove Lakes sponsors three events throughout the year, an Easter Egg Hunt in the spring, Summer Beach Party, and Fall Festival. Events are free to Pine Grove Lakes residents. For 2012, the Pine Grove Lakes trustees have implemented a $5 non-member guest fee per person for each event.
Business to be covered during the annual meeting includes the election of new trustees. The Grove Nomination Committee slotted three members to fill three open trustee positions: Jennifer Cooper, Jim McCafferty and Kim Peters.
Additionally, the Board will review use and function of its Reserve Fund, a special account used to provide for repairs on the association’s common properties, which include The Green, The Grove, The Park, Mirror Lake (or the lower lake), and Pine Grove Lake.
It is strongly recommended that interested Pine Grove Lakes homeowners attend the 2011 Annual Meeting, if only to see how the current Pine Grove trustees do your business.
Pine Grove Lakes Annual Meeting takes place at the Sloatsburg Public Library, Tuesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. The agenda includes:
— Review of Annual Reports of Officers, Trustees and Committees
— Election of new members to the Board of Trustees
— Vote on 2012 budget
— Vote on additional matters
For detailed information on Pine Grove Lakes, go here. Although not the official website for the PGL Homeowners Association, it nevertheless contains a plethora of information on the area.
